Tamaya Dennard poses for photos after she was sworn in as a city council member at the inaugural session of the city council held at the Music Hall ballroom Tuesday, January 2, 2018.
(Photo: The Enquirer/Meg Vogel)

City Councilwoman Tamaya Dennard wore her motivation close to her heart during her optimistic campaign for City Council last year in the form of a lapel pin with Shirley Chisolm's likeness on it.

It came with a caption: "Unbought & Unbossed." For many, the pin served as a conversation starter. Others recognized Chisolm's profile as sure as they know George Washington's when they see it -- with her bouffant-hybrid hairdo, big glasses and her exquisite bone structure.

Chisholm, a New York Democrat, was the first African-American woman elected to Congress. She was a hero to women and African Americans, to be sure. And she can serve as a role model to anyone who believes their politicians should be courageous and full of integrity. Her brand is golden. Smart move by Dennard.

Shirley Chisholm was a trailblazing U.S. Representative from New York.(Photo: Chelsie Walter)

Unbought and unbossed.

I commend Dennard for that lapel pin and also for what she did when she took her City Council oath the other day with that red folding chair, which went viral on social media -- #bringafoldingchair.

That was a nod to Chisolm, too, something Dennard's campaign used at the outset. "If they don't give you a seat at the table, bring a folding chair," Chisholm would say.

"The folding chair, we adopted that mantra early on, because of women, specifically black women, are the largest voting bloc in our country. The things that affected women the most were always at the bottom of the list of things to be addressed, if at all," Dennard said.

And so Dennard, a Christian, eschewed her Bible in favor of the folding chair while taking the oath because she wanted to keep God and politics separate, she told me. She represents people of all faiths, as well as nonbelievers, and recognizes the privilege her own faith affords her.

Even if you don't share Dennard's politics (she's a progressive Democrat), she is someone you want to like. She flashes a ready, gap-toothed smile and has almond-shaped eyes that are disarming, and she lights up a room with positive energy Even though she did well as a first-time candidate, as the sixth-place vote-getter, she believes much of Cincinnati does not know who she is yet.

They will soon enough.

For starters, Dennard said she wants to explore whether women who work for the City of Cincinnati are being promoted on par with men and help shore up bench strength so that women can be promoted on an equitable basis. She also wants to address pay disparities.

In light of the discourse surrounding sexual harassment and its collateral damage, Dennard represents a refreshing change.

Sadly, in 2018, we still have a long way to go as regards getting more women to run for office and win. Dennard and Republican Amy Murray are the lone women on City Council, and Murray is on the 2018 gubernatorial ticket with Jim Renacci.

Women make up 51 percent of the population but less than 25 percent of elected officials in the United States. Women hold one out of four seats in state legislatures, including in Ohio. One out of five mayoral positions in cities with populations over 30,000 is held by women.

During her swearing-in ceremony, Dennard also invoked the names of former Vice Mayor Marian Spencer, Texas Congresswoman Barbara Jordan and Sandra Bland, an activist who died while in police custody in 2015.

"I think you can’t help but think about on whose shoulders I stand," she said.

All were trailblazers one way or another.

So is Dennard with her lapel pin and that red folding chair.

Enquirer Columnist Byron McCauley is also a member of the editorial board. Call him at (513) 768-8565. Connect with him on Twitter: @byronmccauley. He writes about people and places behind the news and other things that strike his fancy.